Rectangular boxes used for the containment of food, such as cereal, detergents, and other powdered or liquid goods, possess an inherent limitation which has not yet been fully overcome. The limitation of rectangular containers lies in the finite limit of available surface area. This limited area puts a limit on the amount of indicia which may be printed on the container, and labeling requirements dictated by law and custom may further reduce the area available to receive additional information.
The surface area is often extended by a few percent by printing on the tabs which get tucked under one of the openable sides. The surface area is also increased by extending one surface beyond the limits of the container, forming a cantilevered tab. This tab is often used to allow space for a hole which can be used to hang the container from a display rack. In small containers with major dimensions of only a few inches, this tab may help triple the surface area available for printing information. However, in containers with major dimensions of 10 inches and greater, such as cereal boxes, detergent boxes, etc., the employment of a tab will yield considerably less than 100% gain in surface area before it becomes awkward.
Having a limited surface area poses a problem for those manufacturers, distributors, or merchants, who wish to deliver an extended message on their packaging, because there is a limit to how many readable words can be printed on a finite surface. Companies who must provide long operating instructions, list safety precautions, or wish to advertise on the surfaces of their containers, are presently limited by the amount of surface area of the container.
Boxes filled with different cereals line the shelves of food stores, and are found in almost every American home. The nutritional values of cereals are highly promoted, and are well-known to the consumer. Several billions of boxes of cereal are sold every year.
Each box containing the cereal represents an attractive vehicle for conveying information to the consumer above and beyond the usual product and nutritional information. Such information may be educational in nature, or may convey additional facts about the product contained in the box, or about current events, or about a sports or entertainment star. Such information might be commercial in nature, and may advertise another product manufactured or distributed by the cereal company. Such information might be entertaining in nature, and may feature a fictional character, or real-life hero or heroine, whose exploits might interest, or intrigue, the individual consuming the cereal. Such information might also include puzzles, or games, which may benefit from the use of the container or parts thereof, as game pieces.
It is well known to adhere detachable, redeemable coupons to the exterior of boxes. The coupons may even be laminated to an exterior surface of the box. It is also well known to insert redeemable coupons into the interior of such boxes. A detailed discussion of detachable, redeemable coupons, may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,021,274, granted Jun. 4, 1991, to Louis B. Beck and Joseph C. Beck.
However, the redeemable coupons are relatively small and thin in size. Also, the coupons are usually removed the first time that the cereal box is opened, and are only intended to convey a limited amount of information to the consumer. Redeemable coupons do not address the problems associated with the limited area on a conventional container for printing additional messages, information, and the like. Thus,the techniques suitable for joining small, redeemable coupons to the exterior of cereal boxes and the like are not applicable to joining multi-page informational booklets to the exterior of a conventional cereal box.
Another solution for increasing the surface area available for an extended printed message utilizes a rigid auxiliary flap that is secured along one edge of a conventional box. The flap is formed of a rigid material, such as paper,and one, or both, sides thereof may be imprinted with additional information. At least one software manufacturer is presently using this packaging technique to provide additional surface area for printing retail sale information geared towards enticing point-of-purchase interest form consumers, while shopping, towards the computer program retained within the conventional box.
However, while the auxiliary flap provides 30-40% of additional surface area beyond the area available on a conventional box, such increase in surface area is insufficient for extensive advertising, storytelling, detailed and complex instructions, and the like. Thus, the need for increased surface areas that are several times larger than the capacity of the conventional box, or the conventional box plus an additional flap, remains unsatisfied.